Araghchi says Iran rejected US request for talks

Russia would view the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a highly dangerous escalation and considers regime change in Iran “unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Sky News on Friday.

“They will open the Pandora's box,” Peskov said, referring to Khamenei being named as a possible target of Israeli or US strikes.

He warned that the region is already extremely tense and said any expansion of the conflict would further destabilize the Middle East. “It will lead only to another circle of confrontation and escalation of tension,” he said.

Peskov added that an assassination attempt could trigger a response from inside Iran and fuel extremist sentiment. “Those who are speaking about this should keep it in mind,” he said.

His comments followed a statement by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Thursday that Israel's war aims include removing Iran’s nuclear and missile threats, adding that “such a man [Khamenei] can no longer be allowed to exist.”

US President Donald Trump, who has said he will decide within two weeks whether the United States will join Israel’s military campaign, said earlier this week that the US would not kill Khamenei—“at least not yet.”

Iran condemned Israel’s strike on the Arak heavy water reactor, saying it targeted a safeguarded nuclear facility in violation of international law, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday.

Araghchi urged the UN Security Council to enforce its own resolutions against military attacks on nuclear sites, warning that failure to respond would undermine the global nonproliferation system.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Thursday that the reactor—while non-operational and containing no nuclear material—had sustained damage to key buildings, including the distillation unit. The IAEA said there were no radiological consequences and that the adjacent heavy water production plant was not hit.

Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, is alive and in stable condition, according to Fars News, a media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Fars quoted Shamkhani on Friday as saying he is “alive and ready to sacrifice,” in a text message addressed to Iran’s leadership and public.

Shamkhani was reportedly seriously wounded in a June 13 Israeli strike on his residence and transferred to a hospital in Tehran, according to Nour News, which is close to the Supreme National Security Council.

Iran International had earlier reported, citing sources, that Shamkhani had succumbed to his injuries.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah on Friday to stay out of the Iran-Israel conflict, saying the group “has not learned the lesson of its predecessors.”

“The Lebanese proxy should be careful and understand that if there is terror – there will be no Hezbollah,” Katz wrote on X.

His comments followed a statement by Hezbollah’s leader Sheikh Naim Qassem, who said the group was not neutral in the face of Israeli and US aggression and backed Iran’s right to defend itself.

President Donald Trump is weighing a US strike, while Israel says it will act alone within days if necessary. Here's a brief summary of events leading to Friday.

Underground site in crosshairs

• Trump is determined to disable Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility by force or diplomacy, CBS and Axios reported.
• Trump will decide within two weeks whether to order a strike, the White House said Thursday.
• Two Israeli security sources told Iran International that Israel will strike Fordow within 48–72 hours—with or without US support.
• The Guardian reports Trump is unconvinced the GBU-57 bomb can destroy Fordow; Pentagon warned only a tactical nuke would guarantee success—something Trump is not considering.
• CIA Director Ratcliffe reportedly described Iran as “on the one-yard line” of building a bomb.
• NYT says Iran may seek a nuclear weapon if Fordow is hit or Khamenei is killed.

Israeli strikes continue

• Israel targeted an industrial complex in Rasht and other targets in Gorgan
• Satellite images confirmed heavy damage to Arak’s reactor dome.
• Israeli officials’ remarks fueled the speculations that Israeli was poised to kill Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei
• Netanyahu said regime change in Iran is up to its people, but could result from the war.
• A building housing top officials was targeted in northern Tehran.

Iran vows to retaliate, launches more missiles

• Khamenei appeared in a defiant video rejecting Trump’s calls to surrender, saying any US attack would cause “irreparable damage.”
• Tehran warned of retaliation on US soil if Washington intervenes, but left door open to diplomacy
• Iran reiterated it may pursue nuclear weapons if Khamenei is assassinated or Fordow is hit.
• New salvos Thursday hit a major hospital in southern Israel
• IRGC media reported attempts to mobilize Qom clerics for compromise with Israel.

Tehran shaken, losses mount

• Rights groups say more than 300 have been killed in Iran, including nuclear scientists and IRGC members.
• Strikes have hit almost every Tehran district, prompting mass flight.
• Air defenses activated again Thursday night amid new Israeli strikes.
• Targets included the Intelligence and Foreign ministries and key military sites.
• Funerals and martyr posters are now common across the capital.

US prepares, denies offensive role

• The USS Ford strike group and over 30 refueling tankers are in the region.
• Satellite images show US military aircraft being removed from a base in Qatar.
• Trump’s G7 exit and social media posts stirred speculation about imminent US action.

Diplomacy intensifies but stalls

• US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi have held multiple phone calls.
• UK foreign minister to deliver US message to Iran in Geneva Friday; France and Germany joining.
• UN chief Guterres welcomed the talks but said violence must end now.
• Iran told Guterres it will keep fighting until the UN acts against Israel.
• Hezbollah’s deputy chief said the group is “not neutral” and backs Iran.

Global fallout escalates

• Russia evacuated nationals; Czechia closed its Tehran embassy.
• Germany urged Israel to show restraint in military operations.
• Oil prices spiked; Iran faces the worst internet blackout since 2019.
• Iran threatened Israeli Channel 14 with military action.
• Iran arrested over 160 people for alleged online support of Israel.
• Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi called for a ceasefire and international peace push.